ROMANCE

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

I chose Outlander as my romance selection after searching around on Novelist. I was looking for a very stereotypical historical romance with a lot of cheesy love scenes. It just so happened that it was February, national Romance month and NoveList was featuring novels and highland men in kilt novel and Outlander set the trend for the now popular sub-genre.

Set in the 18th century Scotland/England. Claire Randall transports back to the Scotland amidst the beginnings of the second Jacobite rebellion. Picked up by a band of Scottish Rogues she is off on a remarkable adventure - none the less of which includes the dashing Jamie Fraser.

After reading Outlander, I have a hard time categorizing it as strictly a romance novel. I think it would be much better labeled as historical fiction and/or Fantasy with its time-travel elements. While elements of time travel are present, Outlander does not have several of the traditional characteristics of romance novels. The couple, Claire Randall and Jamie Fraser, marry in the first novel, it is written in the first person, it does not have a happy ending and both are married to other people throughout their journey in time, etc.

I love Gabaldon's use of natural medicine, aspects of pagan religion and Claire's quick wit and guts.

While it's hard to describe the novel without sounding a little cheesy, it's worth the risk. This novel totally threw me for a loop - I've already finished the next two in the series.

Other Recommendations:

Prince Across the Water, Jane Yolen
This novel looks more in-depthly at Bonny Prince Charlie and the happenings of the Jacobite rebellion.

The Black flower: a novel of the Civil War by Howard Bahr

This features a nurse and patient relationship during the Civil war told during only two days at the battle of Franklin, TN in November 1864. Bahr is recognized for his historical accuracy and literary imagination. It was nominated for four awards.

SCIENCE FICTION

DRAGONFLIGHT - Anne McCaffrey

Dragonflight was actually my second attempt at a science fiction book. Originally, I read about 50 pages of Dune by Frank Herbert, a book that I had always wanted to read. Unfortunately, it was so confusing that I could not concentrate on reading it with my scattered reading schedule.

I found Dragonflight through Genreflecting. I’m still a little confused about why it is considered a science fiction novel versus fantasy, but definitely believe it could go either way. I think the main factor that places it among sci-fi over fantasy is that within the time travel, the characters go into the past as well as into the future. From what I have read, it appears that fantasy generally focuses on the past and sci-fi focus on things that could be... There is also some aspect of biological warfare that requires some abstract form of technology to get rid of, although it is not explained very well.

As far as the story goes, there were aspects of it that I really liked, but in creating this world, I feel that the characters are not very likeable. Set in the world of Pern, Lessa is heir to the Weyrwoman throne at Ruatha Hold. Her and her dragon are in charge of bringing back the power the dragon riders use to have. This becomes necessary when the world is showered with Threads that have potential for destroying Pern.

There are some 20 books in this series. McCaffrey is quite a prolific writer, and has written numerous other series.

Other similar books that might be interesting:

• The Darkover series by Marion Zimmer Bradley.

This sounds good for several reasons: Bradley tends to focus on strong female heroines. She writes lengthy series, so you're able to stay with her characters for a long time. Bradley's The Mists of Avalon was a fantastic Arthurian fantasy and I bet her other books are good too.

The Host: a novel by Stephanie Meyer
Meyer's first adult novel - earth has been invaded, humanity is at stake and Melanie Stryder's body is invaded by another force. Melanie still yearns over her human love - Jared. Now three minds are involved in this love triangle of the future.

GRAPHIC NOVEL

Glacial Period

Glacial Period is a graphic novel published jointly by ComicsLit and the Louvre. Apparantly it is the first time this company has published in the U.S. The Louvre is involved in a series of four graphic novels, all by different authors, dealing with the classic artwork of the Louvre.

While DeCrecy’s artwork is very good, especially his interpretations of the museum classics, the story is abstract, hard to follow and dry. The cover flaps of the book are very deceiving in regards to the story, calling DeCrecy a “mad genius,” which is a bit of an overstatement. Definitely intended for a teen + audience. It could be useful for an introduction to the Louvre museum and its masterpieces. DeCrecy was also nominated for an Eisner Award for Best Painter in 2007 for his work in Glacial Period.

The graphic novel category is sort of new to me. I used to read Batman comics as a kid. He's the only superhero I really like. Unfortunately, I'm not sure I can really get into this genre again. In this graphic novel, the words were sparse, and flipping through the pictures wasn't all the interesting.

I did enjoy the concept of Louvre of the future and looking at famous artwork from another perspective.

Some books I'd try based on those themes:

Nike: a romance
A first novel by Nicholal Flokos - this story features the return of the statue Nike of Samothrace which was taken to the Louvre in the 19th century. Sounds quirky and original.


Something out of Nothing: Marie Curie and Radium -Carla Killough McClafferty

This is a biography featuring Maria Curie and her work as groundbreaking scientist. She was the first woman to win a Novel Prize. A very readable account of her life and times.

NON-FICTION

The Map that Changed the World: William Smith and the Birth of Modern Geology


This is another one of Simon Winchester’s exciting tales. I really enjoyed his two books on The Oxford English Dictionary - The Meaning of Everything and The Professor and the Madman, and thought this might be worth a look. It definitely was not as good as the other two, possibly due to the topic. Winchester strays from the topic most of the time making it easy to get lost in the story at hand. Although it was an interesting story, he deals a little too non-chalantly with the evolution aspect - making the rest of the information not quite as credible for me. His humor and colloquial account still makes for a refreshing read.

Seeing I’m not really interested in geology, these two titles deal with maps and exploration.

• Blue Latitudes: Boldly Going Where Captain Cook Has Gone Before – Tony Horwitz

Not really about a cook in the food sense, it deals with ocean exploration and completing the first map of the world.

• The Island of Lost Maps: A True Story of Cartographic Crime - Miles Harvey

An exploration about a man who stole priceless maps from a library.

Communication Quandary

It’s not often that I feel overly sympathetic for inmates of the criminal justice system. In fact we are taught not to feel “sympathy” but instead, “empathy” for their situation. That said, a Hispanic female was housed in my pod the other day. As I was doing a security check I noticed her sitting on the floor of the bathroom crying. Having introduced her to the pod moments before, I was aware of the fact that she spoke almost no English.

After five years of high school and college Spanish I have to say that I can speak very little Spanish. Normally, I would just find another Spanish speaking inmate and have them translate. Unfortunately, out of 36 inmates, she was the only Spanish speaker. I attempted to use an online translator to a degree and hopefully got across a few main points of being in jail. For the most part though, there was almost no communication and I think we both felt a little helpless.

And so, yet another instance of how communication plays a key role in reference, and other, transactions. Is it necessary, as a professional to be able to speak other languages, especially Spanish? Are we obligated to learn a second language? If so, shouldn’t the United States follow the techniques of Asia and Africa where English or a second official language is taught in primary school and earlier?

I’m very torn on this subject because it is frustrating not to be able to get your point across due to a language barrier, when there are already so many other barriers to get over. And yet I feel bad that the US has managed to wipe out so many other cultures in the assimilation process. Ah how I would love to speak German with my grandma. While I did my best to purge the library carts of Spanish reading material, all I can say is that I am glad I wasn’t able to tell her that INS was picking her up in the morning.

Readers Advise....Divisadero

Well, I have been sooo busy lately with school, work and family that I am going back to my roots a little readers advisory, again, and submitting a book review on a recent book I've read (and by recent I mean like two months ago). I don't think reviewing knitting books from the 80's and 90's would be very beneficial...

DIVISADERO

- Michael Ondaatje

“He pushed the glass doors open and walked into the night so the coldness filled his shirt. He noticed the square of a window on the slope of the hill. There was a tightrope between the two farms, and below it an abyss.” (221)

Anyone who knows me knows that The English Patient is not only my favorite movie, but also my favorite book. Ondaatje uses his skill as a poet to write beautiful lyrical prose that simply carries the reader away to the mysterious worlds of Herodotus, Caravaggio and turn of the century France.

Yet, Divisadero is not without its problems. The beginning of the text, which is unusually set in the 1970’s is clunky and without much direction. The plot is slow if not non-existent. Ondaatje focuses on Claire, Coop and Anna who are raised like family since childhood. Anna and Coop have an innocent liaison and then a tragic separation takes place thanks to her father. Then, the story jumps several years down the road to Coop’s self-destructive behavior. The problem is, it isn’t until this section of the novel that the reader really gets hooked onto the characters. Up until then, the reader feels passive, like they are on the outside, looking in. A reader doesn’t want to be on the outside, they want to be there, transformed to where the action is happening.

The final part of the novel transports the reader to turn of the century France, following the life of a recluse writer whose life subtly parallels that of Anna. This was the best and most interesting part of the whole story. Ondaatje’s writing remains beautiful and excels in this section. It is his fluid verse that gives life to the story. Ondaatje also has that gift for weaving history into the mundane and making the whole world seem like one big canvas. Unfortunately, when the writer’s section ends, so does the novel. Anna says a few last words as she reflects on her time spent researching in France, but aside from that there is no conclusion. Part of Ondaatje’s style is that he doesn’t visualize things linearly. The plot starts in the middle, moves backwards and then ends in the present. Ondaatje loves to just end books without a solid finale. This vague conclusion leaves the reader hanging in a most disturbing way. Sometimes the unknown is good, but this is too much.

Overall, the characters all have the beginning of what makes well-developed characters. Unfortunately, the segmented style that guides the text keeps the reader from gaining an attachment to the text. While this method works in The English Patient because the characters come full-circle, it doesn’t work for this novel.

BOOK MARKS...

Since we have recently read about Reader's Advisory in our SLIS textbook, I thought it would be fitting to share my favorite book magazine, "Bookmarks." Technically, I believe it's a popular magazine, unfortunately it's hard to find sometimes. Although, Borders and Barnes and Noble are pretty reliable sources. Bookmarks is published bi-monthly (6 times a year) and is a quick, aesthetically pleasing read. There are several aspects that make this a great and useful source for librarians.

First, it has a list by month of interesting titles that are coming out, usually up to four months.

Secondly, the magazine consists primarily of short reviews, divided by genre, including non-fiction, history, biography, science fiction and crime, etc. Along with the reviews, two authors are featured each month along with a topic. For example, this month the authors are Isabel Allende and Edwidge Danticat and the topic is World War II. The articles are well-written and accurate. I always end up reading about authors I've heard about, but haven't read any of their work yet. The articles for the authors that I am familiar with are still an interesting refresher. Each authors work is highlighted and includes a pretty thorough synopsis of each piece.

There's also a section called "have you read?" that showcases two reader's 10 favorite books. This months reader is from Sheboygan, WI. Go Big Red....

The magazine also features books that have won awards, children's selections and a featured book group that is interviewed. Overall, the reviews are short and useful, but they don't necessarily focus on best-sellers, which is sort of refreshing.

I found this article while looking for a picture of Bookmarks. The author disagrees with almost everything I like about the selection. http://www.flakmag.com/misc/bookmarks.html.

Enjoy.